Swim teams set for conference

February 16, 2018

Lily Guillen / The Courier

Today, the Fighting Scots’ men’s and women’s swim teams compete in their last meet of the season at the Midwest Conference Championships in Grinnell, IA. After a strenuous season of swimming thousands of yards each day, the Fighting Scots have completed their taper and are ready for the best swims of their season. Junior Logan Hoepfner commented on the changes in practice the last couple of days. “This past week we have been doing less than 2000 yards each day to make sure our bodies receive enough rest while still maintaining our ‘feel’ for the water.” Hoepfner continued to say that although an average person might think that 2000 yards is a lot of swimming, it is an easy practice for an average swimmer.

At last year’s conference, the men’s team earned third place and the women’s team received 6th. After a hefty beating on the team’s overall morale from disqualifying both relays during Saturday’s session, both swim teams managed to perform at their best and reap the benefits. Sophomore Rik Doornenbal shared the team’s experience with last year’s mishaps. “Yeah, two of our relays DQ’d on Saturday night last year and it was pretty awful. We have been working extra hard on our relay exchanges to make sure that does not happen again.” This year, Doornenbal has been focusing on his mile, 500, and 200 events aiming to earn some medals this year.

The time in which the conference meet takes place is a crucial period for the swimmers. The student-athletes are off of Monmouth College’s campus for four days missing one and half days of school. Not to mention mid-term exams are right around the corner, conference weekend is a high stress-high reward event. Even though the weekend might seem long and laborious, all of the swimmers are there for each other. Sophomore Emily Matthews revealed some of the shenanigans that take place in between the high-octane moments of competition. “My favorite part of the weekend is when the girls and I can goof around at the hotel while everyone shaves. We usually make fun of the guys for cutting their legs when they shave. It is hilarious”